Marion County
Its jail, located in Salem, has a capacity of 116.
Marion County has a population of 36,437 and is classified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as “Nonmetro - Urban population of 5,000 to 20,000, not adjacent to a metro area”.
Annual inspections
Between 2017 and 2025, the Marion County jail has failed five of nine Illinois Department of Corrections inspections.
Inspectors cited violations to “Supervision” regulations most often, bringing it up in five of those failed inspections.
| Year | Result | Violations cited |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Noncompliant |
|
| 2024 | Noncompliant |
|
| 2023 | Noncompliant |
|
| 2022 | Noncompliant |
|
| 2021 | Noncompliant |
|
| 2020 | Compliant | — |
| 2019 | Compliant | — |
| 2018 | Compliant | — |
| 2017 | Compliant | — |
Each violation links to the standard it cites in the Illinois County Jail Standards. Years link to the full inspection report for that year on the IDOC website.
Extraordinary or unusual incidents
Marion County reported 39 extraordinary or unusual incidents at its jail between 2019 and 2025 — 10.7 per 10,000 residents, the 34th highest rate of the 92 Illinois counties with a jail.
Among the 32 rural counties it is 5th; those counties report a median of 5. The median for every county with a jail is 7.
A county reporting less could indicate lower incident rates or lower reporting rates.
Incidents per 10,000 residents
Marion CountyRural counties Every other county with a jail
Most frequent categories
- Restraints used17
- Suicide attempt15
- Assault on staff5
- Serious injury4
- Fight among detainees3
A single report can fall into more than one category.
Reported incidents by year
Deaths in custody
Between 2019 and 2025, 3 people died in custody of the Marion County sheriff. Of those, 1 was not counted in state oversight data.
Each death in the Marion County jail
Counted by the state Uncounted Additional details
No deaths in custody were identified at the Marion County jail.
Illinois Answers withheld the names of some of the deceased at the request of their families.
Data compiled 2026-09-15. Methodology.